dc_subsection_news_in_brief_January_2010

January 2010

Davos Forum Closes without Significant Headway
January 31, 2010—Davos, Switzerland: The world's leading economic forum adjourned Sunday after five days of meetings. The participating 2,500 business and government leaders debated how to address global unemployment and levels of regulation. The atmosphere of doom and gloom that pervaded last year's forum was replaced by an overarching feeling of uncertainty. Consensus over how to proceed on a global scale proved too difficult to reach. Arguably the only agreement was that the economy is in an extremely fragile state. [DC]

The Other Afghanistan
January 31, 2010—Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Delegates voiced to the African Union summit that the crisis in Somalia is equal to that in Afghanistan—but is being ignored by the world. Islamist insurgents have cornered Somalia’s, UN-backed government into just a few streets in Mogadishu. The African Union has sent in a peacekeeping force of 5,000, but it is struggling to hold back the rebels. Many fear that Somalia could soon evolve into an al Qaeda training camp and launch pad. Despite these fears, not much is being done. The African Union has repeatedly asked for the support of UN troops but has only been given funding. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended the AU's annual summit in Ethiopia on Sunday and again failed to pledge peacekeepers. [DC]

UN to Foster Cyprus-Turkish Reconciliation
January 31, 2010—Larnaca, Cyprus: Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have been locked in peace talks for over 16 months hoping to overcome the rift that has gaped between the two nations since Cyprus’s 1974 invasion by Turkey. Attempts to resolve the conflict have failed for decades, but diplomats are currently sensing a window of opportunity. Turkey's eager bid to join the European Union hinges partly on reconciliation, since Greek Cypriots represent the island in the bloc and will not agree to Ankara joining until the island's division is resolved. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cyprus Sunday to encourage the peace talks between the island's estranged Greeks and Turks. Ban asserted that engagement won’t be easy, but that he believes “a solution is possible and within reach." [DC]

Taiwan Arms Deal Enrages Beijing
January 30, 2010—Hong Kong: The Chinese government is answering the United State’s recent arms sales to Taiwan with a series of unusually severe retaliatory measures. The Foreign Ministry announced Saturday that trade with the American companies supplying the weapon systems will be sanctioned, some U.S. military exchange programs will be canceled, and that Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the United States ambassador to China, has been called in to protest the sales. The Obama administration’s transactions with Taiwan have been impugned by Beijing as “Gross intervention into China’s internal affairs.” [DC]

Chinese State Media Levels Attack at Washington
January 26, 2010—Beijing, China: After two weeks of tight-lipped response, Chinese officials and state media have unleashed a torrent of criticism. Interestingly, the attacks are aimed—not at Google—but at the United States government. The tipping point apparently came last Thursday when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserted the administration’s support of Google’s ultimatum and urged China to drop Internet censorship and investigate the hacking, which some experts attribute to Beijing itself. The People's Daily, China’s leading paper as well as the ruling Communist Party's chief mouthpiece, retaliated on Tuesday by stating that the U.S. government was embracing Google's claims, "in an effort to restrict China's right to protect its national security and interests on the Internet.” The Internet row promises to further strain Sino-U.S. relations, which have been setback by trade and currency disputes, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and the possibility President Barack Obama will meet the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing considers a separatist. [DC]

France Inches Closer to Veil Ban
January 26, 2010—Paris, France: After six months of hearings, a French parliamentary commission has presented a draft resolution to the National Assembly to denounce full face veils. The proposed legislation characterizes veiling as a radical religious practice that is contrary to French values and grounds to reject requests for citizenship. As the commission delivered its report, National Assembly President Bernard Accoyer declared, "The full veil represents in an extraordinary way everything that France spontaneously rejects. It's a symbol of the subjugation of women and the banner of extremist fundamentalism." While the draft has gained remarkable support among National Assembly members, many have condemned the plan as xenophobic, even racist. [DC]

The Next Space Race?
January 25, 2010—Paris, France: Europe’s largest space company, EADS Astrium, has announced its intention to place a solar-harvesting satellite into orbit by 2015. The assertion is a clear challenge to the U.S. and Japan’s solar-satellite also scheduled for launch in 2015. The U.S. and Japan plan to transmit the collected solar energy back to Earth via microwave, which arguably could be highly destructive if the beam is misdirected. EADS Astrium’s satellite, on the other hand, will use far safer infrared lasers to transmit the energy. The stakes in the contest are high. Not only would a solar-harvesting satellite grant its makers energy independence from the troubled Persian Gulf, but also an immense international market. Analysts anticipate that solar-collecting satellites will account for a large amount of the Earth’s energy by the end of the century. [DC]

Nations Discuss Haiti Reconstruction
January 25, 2010—Montreal, Canada: Fourteen nations and the European Union met in Montreal Monday to discuss long-term Haiti reconstruction. The countries tentatively agreed on a 10-year, $3 billion rebuilding effort, but Haiti’s long history of corruption remains a deep concern. The donor nations have asked for an independent damage assessment consisting of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme experts. If the massive funding is secured, the money will reportedly be used by the Haiti government to construct 200 model communities for the 200,000 people left homeless, as well as schools, health care centers, government ministries, and national infrastructure. The foreign ministers of the donor nations will reconvene in March at the United Nations headquarters in New York. [DC]

Chavez: U.S. Caused Haiti Quake
January 21, 2010—Caracas, Venezuela: According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused the U.S. navy of launching a tectonic weapon off Haiti’s shores, resulting in the magnitude-7 quake. A weapon capable of inducing a powerful earthquake has never been documented. The publication additionally quoted Chavez as saying that the launch of the missile was merely a drill for destroying and taking over Iran. [DC]

Haiti Turns Down Dominican Peacekeeping Force
January 21, 2010—Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Reuters is reporting that Haitian President Rene Preval has rejected an 800-man peacekeeping battalion offered by the Dominican Republic. The relationship between the two nations has been volatile for centuries. In 1844—after a 22-year occupation by Haiti—the Dominican Republic secured its independence, but the island remained awash with violence for the following two decades. Then, in the 20th century, the Dominican Republic massacred over 20,000 Haitians living near its border. Animosity between the two nations reportedly calmed in the ensuing decades, but the continued sharp contrast in living conditions in the island remains a charged issue. The battalion would have offered quick security along the aid corridor between the border and Port-au-Prince, a need specifically mentioned by UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy prior to the Security Council plus-up. [DC]

Freeze on UN Climate Change Deadline
January 21, 2010—United Nations: Nations participating in last month’s fractious Copenhagen Summit appointed January 31st as the cut-off date for each to declare its emissions reduction targets. The UN deadline, however, has now collapsed leaving proponents for a new legally binding pact on climate change frustrated and setting a bleak precedent for efforts to finalize the treaty in 2010. Only two meetings have been scheduled for the remainder of the year: the first occurring in Germany in late May and the second taking place in Mexico in late November. Many officials have already emphasized that additional conferences will be needed for any progress to take place. [DC]

EU President Pushes for Greater Presence
January 20, 2010—European Union: The European Union has offered Haiti 420 million Euros in emergency assistance and long-term redevelopment, but Herman Van Rompuy—the first permanent head of the alliance—is dissatisfied. Rompuy is pressing the 27 nations to establish a special EU force that could respond rapidly to future disasters. The President is urging for the EU to adopt a “hard” power in addition to its current “soft” power of aid and trade. However, it will most likely not be heeded. Europe’s heads of state remain distinctly reluctant to cede influence to the bloc’s leadership despite signing the Lisbon treaty last year. [DC]

Climategate, Again?
January 19, 2010—United Nations: Just months after University of East Anglia researchers were exposed as having manipulated global warming data, the United Nations Panel on Climate Change is being impugned for gross exaggeration. Three years ago the panel declared that it was “very likely” that the Himalayan glaciers will disappear by 2035 if current warming trends are not altered. The report grabbed the world’s attention—much of Asia depends on the glaciers for its water supply—and earned the panel the Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. Now, however, it appears that the data was deeply flawed. Not only was the figure extracted from a decade-old magazine interview of a single climate scientist, the scientist, himself, Dr. Syed Hasnain, has admitted that he was “misquoted” in the article. He asserts that his research only suggests that small glaciers could melt entirely by 2035. This surprising lapse in scientific rigor raises questions about the UN panel’s reliability, especially since it is widely looked to for forming global policy. [DC]

Algeria’s Neocolonialism
January 19, 2010—Algiers, Algeria : Algeria is getting ritzed up: a new airport, its first mall, its largest prison, 60,000 new homes, two luxury hotels and the longest continuous highway in Africa. The massive investment plan may have been proposed by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but the real power behind it is China. Some 50 Chinese firms, largely state-controlled, have been awarded $20 billion in government construction contracts. China is taking great interest in impoverished African nations. While the involvement may appear noble, there is remarkably little trickle-down from its investment. Chinese firms import the vast majority of their supplies and hire predominately their own people. [DC]

After 20 Years, Chile Shifts Right
January 18, 2010—Santiago, Chile: Billionaire businessman Sebastián Piñera has secured the presidency in Chile, making him the first rightwing leader since the dictator Augusto Pinochet left office in 1990. Running with a slogan of Join up for a Change, Piñera promised that his government would be both more modern and honest. The president elect has already distributed millions of his fortune in public work projects such as financing a fleet of buses to transport poor children to museums and in defending a virgin rainforest in southern Chile. Piñera has even promised to sell off his more than 25 percent stake in flagship airline LAN, one of the region's leading carriers, as well as other assets, to avoid conflict of interest in his new role. Investors wait to see if he will abide by his word, especially since the stocks rose with his victory. [DC]

The Iran Impasse Continues
January 17, 2010—New York City, U.S.: Top diplomats from six key powers met at the EU offices in New York Saturday to discuss new sanctions against Iran. While France, Germany, Britain, and Russia were each represented by a senior Foreign Ministry official, China only sent a low-level diplomat—a move clearly intended to show its resistance to penal measures. Russia also expressed hesitancy in imposing new tariffs. The Western powers had hoped the dialogue would produce an agreement on whether to begin drafting a Security Council resolution on a fourth round of UN sanctions against Tehran, instead the meeting adjourned without making headway. [DC]

Ukraine’s Fading Orange
January 16, 2010—Kiev, Ukraine: The final tinges of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution are expected to be muted in tomorrow’s presidential election. Polls indicate that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will be swept from office along with his pro-Western ideology, defiance of Moscow, and bold attempts to align Ukraine with NATO and the European Union. Yushchenko’s sinking popularity in a predominately pro-Russian nation has made his opposition's ascendancy to office all too easy. But the newly turned pro-Russian government could still have a place for Yushchenko. Sources in Kiev have stated that Russian officials are in talks that could provide Yushchenko with a clearly-nominal premiership in Ukraine—a move fashioned to appease any remaining pro-Westerners in the nation. [DC]

The World Stands With Haiti
January 14, 2010—Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Nations around the world are rallying in response to the 7.0 magnitude quake that devastated Haiti’s capital on Tuesday. Aid consisting of tents, food, water purification systems, search units, and heavy machinery is pouring into the Caribbean capital from European and Asian nations. The United States has already pledged $100 million in relief funding and is mobilizing 5,500 soldiers and 300 medical personnel to the wreckage. International governments have also declared long-term assistance of the Haitian government, whose parliament building, national palace, and main prison have all been leveled. The Red Cross estimates that 45,000 to 50,000 Haitians have died and 3 million more are injured or homeless. Many people are believed to still be trapped alive in the mass of rubble. [DC]

Google Defies a Nation
January 14, 2010—Shanghai, China: Just four years after instituting its Chinese-language website Google.cn, Google declared on Tuesday that it is no longer willing to censor search in China. The bold statement followed Google’s discovery that hackers had infiltrated the e-mail accounts of human rights activists challenging the communist regime. Shanghai, who has already banned Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in its grappling for control, responded Thursday with the ultimatum—obey Chinese law or get out. Later on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry avowed that “China’s Internet is open.” Google’s act of defiance could slow its growth and earnings, particularly since experts anticipate that the Internet will be dominated by Chinese sites and users in a matter of years. Despite the perceived repercussions, Google’s stock is holding up so far. Google’s co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page who operate under the business mantra, "Don't be evil," have consistently placed principles before revenue. [DC]

Central Europe Desperate for NATO Assurances
January 12, 2010—Prague, Czech Republic: NATO’s upcoming strategic revamp was scheduled to respond to the emerging threats of cyberwarfare and energy security, but Central European nations are pushing the debate in a different direction—Article 5. Their anxiety to uphold the agreement that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on the entire alliance is well-founded after Russia-Georgia conflict. During a conference in Prague Tuesday, Central Europe fretted over Russia’s increased chumminess with Western states, particularly after it signed energy deals with Germany, France, and Italy and proposed a new European security treaty last month. The Kremlin’s draft has garnered warm praise from European leaders who have called it “timely” and in line with Europe’s interests, but there is suspicion that document is merely an attempt by Moscow to “create fissures” in NATO rapport. If so, the approach appears to be working. [DC]

South Korea and U.S. Refuse to Appease North Korea
January 12, 2010—Seoul, South Korea: The U.S. and South Korea refused to discuss a peace treaty with North Korea Tuesday, maintaining that the dialogue could not take place until the North initiates nuclear disarmament and reengages in the six-nation talks it withdrew from last spring. North Korea pressed for “immediate” negotiations on Monday, but Seoul and Washington were unmoved. As noted by South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Tae-young Tuesday, “North Korea has a history of offering peace gestures with one hand while committing provocations with the other.” South Korea and the U.S. also rejected the North’s demand that United Nations sanctions be lifted before it returns to the talks. [DC]

Italy Rebuked for Migrant Treatment
January 12, 2010—Rome, Italy: UN human rights officials voiced deep concern Tuesday over Italy's “deep-rooted” racism towards migrants. The statement followed last week’s bloody confrontation between African farmworkers, residents, and police in Rosarno, which erupted after two migrants were shot with a pellet gun. During the ensuing two days of violence, three migrants were severely beaten with metal rods, dozens of residents were injured, and hundreds of Africans fled the farm town. In addition to drawing censor from the UN, Italy has also been indicted by Egypt for “discrimination, violence, and hatred,” based on religious grounds. Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, has denied the charges, asserting that the police were reacting to "ordinary violence, unacceptable violence that has nothing to do with Egypt [or]…religious motivation." Italy’s entrenched antagonism towards migrants appears to be worsening with the steadily growing immigrant population. [DC]

Global Freedoms in Decline
January 12, 2010—New York, U.S.: According to the annual Freedom House report, five new nations moved into the “not free” category in 2009, making it the forth consecutive year that civil freedoms have lost ground globally. The survey released Tuesday listed Bahrain, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Yemen in the now 47 nations that are deemed acutely repressive. The U.S.-based firm also indicated that the number of electoral democracies dropped to the lowest point since since 1995. While the report did applaud improvements in Iraq’s civil liberties, it also pointed to relapses in Afghanistan and even China, which it asserted, “Behaves as if it were under siege by its own citizens.” Beijing’s trade policy was particularly censored. With its new economic prowess, China has embraced business with oppressive governments that would otherwise have been forced to reform under Western sanctions. This current four-year corrosion of civil liberties is the longest decline since Freedom House instituted its annual survey in 1972. [DC]

Economists Fear China Boom Poised to Collapse
January 11, 2010—Beijing, China: While much of the world remains mired in financial crisis, new figures indicate that China has been gaining remarkable economic ground—and gaining it fast. According to a report released Monday, China has surpassed Germany as the biggest exporter of manufactured goods, surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest automobile market, and is soon to surpass Japan as the second-largest economy. Beijing’s state-run news media have pronounced China’s new economic standing as proof of its global superiority, but economists caution the recent financial growth may not be sustainable, particularly as its economic relations abroad grow increasingly strained. Not only is China is under pressure to revalue its currency and curb speculation, its inundation of stimulus money into risk-ridden projects and loans could result in a short-lived boom indeed. [DC]

139 Sudanese Killed in Cattle Raid
January 7, 2010—Juba, Sudan: Armed Nuer tribesmen killed at least 139 cattle herders from a rival tribe on Saturday. The attack in the remote region surfaced Thursday with a report from the deputy governor of Warrap state, Sabino Makana. Aid groups estimate that Sudanese tribal violence was responsible for 2,500 deaths in 2009 alone, and fear that rising bloodshed—particularly in underdeveloped areas—could endanger the 2005 peace accord that ended the two-decade Sudanese civil war. The UN is sending a team to the Tonj region to investigate the massacre. [DC]

China Confronts Brain Drain
January 7, 2010—Beijing, China: Every year hundreds of thousands of Chinese students leave their homeland to pursue foreign educations. Out of every four who leave, government statistics indicate that only one returns. The ratio is even more lopsided in regards to those obtaining science or engineering doctorates. Recently, however, Beijing has begun taking aggressive measures against this brain drain. By appropriating ample funding and tugging on national pride, China has been able to entice some of its brightest minds home, including Princeton University’s renowned molecular biologist Dr. Shi Yigong. In order to increase China’s academic esteem, its internal scientists are also being pushed to produce papers at break-neck speeds. Within the last decade, China has quadrupled the number of scientific papers published annually—leaving them second only to the United States. China is additionally inundating emerging fields of science with its manpower. According to analysts, over 5,000 Chinese scientists are investigating nanotechnology alone. [DC]

Venezuela: Parched and Powerless
January 5, 2010—Caracas, Venezuela: Drought has devastated Venezuela’s hydroelectric power generation landing the nation’s already deteriorating electricity sector into a full-fledged energy crisis. Venezuela depends on the Guri Dam for a staggering 73 percent of its electricity, but with the El Nino-induced drought, the dam’s water levels have fallen to a historic low. Government officials admit that unless the drought abates, the dam could reach critically low levels this January. Power scarcity has already led to chilling production cuts in Venezuela’s industrial sector—particularly in metal manufacturing. Unless conditions improve, analysts warn that Venezuela’s economy will be significantly compromised. At present, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s government does not appear to have a comprehensive plan to address the challenge. [DC]

Iceland’s Numbing Decision
January 5, 2010—Reykjavik, Iceland: President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson refused to sign the Icesave act Tuesday, marking just the second time in Icelandic history that a president has applied his largely ceremonial powers of veto. The bill would mandate that Iceland restore the $5.5 billion borrowed from British and Dutch depositors after its October 2008 economic collapse. Analysts worry that the austerity measures required to pay off such a debt could trigger social upheaval. On the other hand, Grimsson’s veto—while bold—may jeopardize the Island nation’s hope of joining the European Union, not to mention its future trade viability. The apparently lose-lose decision is being left to Iceland’s 300,000 citizens who will be voting in a national referendum. [DC]

World Expo Diplomacy
January 3, 2010—Washington, DC: Shanghai has devoted a staggering $45 billion to prepare for the World Expo this spring—even more than was spent on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With this kind of investment, China is taking its guests’ attendance personally. When it appeared that the U.S. would not be contributing a national pavilion at the end of the Bush administration, the Chinese advanced the Americans money, took up the issue with former President Jimmy Carter, and openly warned Secretary of State Clinton that Sino-U.S. relations would be injured if the U.S. did not make a presence. Clinton took the daunting task of raising the $61 million necessary to finance a national pavilion largely upon herself. In just nine months, she has secured pledges from PepsiCo, General Electric, Chevron and other American corporations totaling $54 million. At present, the only nation that will not be participating in the Expo appears to be Andorra. [DC]

Russia to Extend its Sphere?
January 5, 2010—Moscow, Russia: Russia may have recently rid itself of Soviet-era debt, but analysts suspect that the nation is poised to re-forge political unions with Soviet nations. STRATFOR’s intelligence predicts that Russia will use the West’s growing preoccupation with the Middle East as an opportunity to purge the already-dwindling Western and Turkish influence in its former Soviet states, namely, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The task will certainly not be completed within the year, but the report asserts that by 2011 Russia’s sphere of authority will have grown significantly. Analysts even caution that Russia may seek to perpetuate Iran’s intransigency in order to divert attention from its efforts in the former Soviet Union. [DC]

Iran Issues Ultimatum to the West
January 4, 2010—Tehran, Iran: After months of flouting U.S., UK, and UN ultimatums for nuclear cooperation, Iran has issued its own. On Saturday, Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s foreign minister, warned Western nations that they will have one month to accept Iran’s terms. While the conditions weren’t listed specifically in the state television broadcast, it is believed that they refer to Iran’s proposal to exchange its uranium within Turkey or its own borders. Mottaki was more explicit regarding the repercussions—Iran will enrich its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to 20 percent, the presumed level to create a crude, but operating, nuclear weapon. The West has already denounced Iran’s stipulations since they would in no way hinder its nuclear armament, and the U.S. responded to Iran’s ultimatum with a declaration Monday that it has begun constructing new sanctions for Tehran. Analysts fear that the current strained condition could rupture into conflict within the year. [DC]

U.S. and UK Embassies Shut in Yemen
January 5, 2010—Sana, Yemen: Both the U.S. and UK Embassies in Yemen closed Sunday due to surfacing threats from al Qaeda. On Monday, Yemeni troops killed the two Islamist militants purported to be behind the threats, allowing the Embassies to tentatively reopen on Tuesday. Yemen, the poorest nation in the Arab peninsula, recently landed itself at the foreground of the U.S.-led war against terror after a Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda claimed authorship of the Christmas Day bomb attempt on a Detroit-bound plane. Western nations fear that al Qaeda will take advantage of Yemen's instability and use the nation to infiltrate Yemen’s neighbor—and the world’s biggest oil exporter—Saudi Arabia. [DC]

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